McCalls 6747 - sewing in familiar territory...

Well, I must say this - I am so over my knee-jerk pastel reaction to my gray hair. No more mint. No more pink. No more fluff...

That felt good!

I finished a muslin of the Grainline Studio Farrow Dress this morning, and it, on top of my watercolor floral dress of last week, nearly sent me over the edge.

So moving on and back to what feels more natural for me.

I have so loved the McCalls 6747 maxi pattern - I made 4 versions in cotton jersey a few years ago. And I wore them out.

Time for more, and this first one is a fabric departure for me - I used rayon/lycra jersey instead of cotton jersey (oh, I hope it doesn't pill). And it has a 1/8" stripe. I sure pick some doozies for print matching. Laying this out and cutting it was a beast, my eyeballs felt jittery. But check out that center back seam!

A few sewing notes:

• The fabric is pretty light, and it has 4-way stretch, 60% horizontally and vertically. I used 1/4" twill tape inside the shoulder seam allowance to add some stability. When the seam was sewn, serged, and topstitched down, the tape disappeared completely - no scratchiness going on.

• The stripe is so small that I couldn't use it horizontally for the neck binding. So I decided to use the stripe vertically. I love how it looks - it breaks up the dress a little bit.

• And to balance the binding, and add a little interest to the dress, I used a cuff on the sleeve, also with a vertical stripe.

• I also raised the neckline, about 1 /34" at center front, and 1" at center back, and adjusted the shoulder width to fit. I'm just a little tired of deeply scooped necklines, plus it's fall/winter season. Seems reasonable.

• As in my previous versions, I skipped the front button placket and center back slit.

The whole time I was sewing this, I was thinking that it would be a bust - that it would hug every curve and bump and not work at all. However - it's great! I'm not a 'body-conscious lingerie' person. No Spanx or so on. Here I'm just wearing a midi-length half slip, so that the fabric will glide rather than cling.

Great little dress - love it. 

News flash: David whisked his lovely Elizabeth off to Sedona this past weekend. And they came back engaged! Such joy...

Ciao! Coco

McCalls 6987 Round 2 - the adjustment bureau...

I'm so stubborn. After my struggle to like my first long version of McCalls 6987, I almost immediately searched for different fabric for a second attempt. Honestly, I really like the vibe of this pattern - there is a Lagenlook lady lurking inside me, and she keeps knocking. Kind of fun.

I've sewn the short version 4 times - love it.

This time I tried a quiet seafoam floral challis that I picked up from Fabric Mart's pre-cut buyout. And I really like the balance of the color and the print with the lines of the dress.

However - after hours and hours of cutting and sewing, I was perplexed once again. I loved the way this looks in the back, but the front not so much. I paired it with black leggings, white leggings, and bare legs. The bare legs are an easy nix, but I was torn between the black and white leggings. I looked at these pics every way but upside down, and couldn't decide...

From VividLinen - aren't those great pants!

I was beginning to feel like a long tunic weeny. Maybe I should lift the back a little bit, more like this tunic...

Yes. I took off the ruffle and raised the back 3" (it was loooong in the back). And now I really like it!

All this kept me very busy and interrupted my sleep. I think this white hair (which I love) has messed with my fashion equilibrium :-)

Parting shot: Mr. Cuban Knight anole is back this morning! This one is a juvenile, only about 14" long. Such a handsome fellow.

Ciao! Coco

McCalls 6987 - just had to try this...

This little adventure has taken most of my time for a week!

I've really enjoyed the tunic version of this pattern, and I've been so curious about the longer view. Earlier this week Birdybooo posted a darling version on Pattern Review. Which led me to Fabricsofcolor's wonderful version in an African waxed fabric.  Such inspiration!

This rayon challis from Girl Charlee has been hanging around in my stash since last October. I haven't used it because I knew that the pattern matching would be a beast. Sure enough, this thing kept me so busy. I drafted full pattern pieces so that I could lay them out flat (rather than on the fold) and have more control over the fabric and print. Challis is so shifty! I was pinning it to itself, the tissue, and my cutting board. Five hours to draft and cut...

The only change I made was to lift the back aspect by about 3". I just knew I wouldn't want quite so much 'hi-lo'. And I used the sleeves from the tunic, View A - they're really interesting and fun to wear.

 Check out all that pattern matching. The print has about a hundred things going on. Patting myself on the back...

So - one more pic of this version, in the light of day. I think this dress is unique and interesting. It just doesn't make my heart sing, which means I wouldn't wear it.

However, I knew going in that I could always chop it and make it into the tunic. It was super easy to do, and I like the result.

I'm glad it's finished! but looking forward to wearing it. Challis is a perfect fabric for Florida, and these colors just say autumn.

So, it's almost the weekend. I like a weekend project, it just feels right, and I've decided to give StyleArc a reprieve :-) In progress today - the Stevie boyfriend jean jacket. The one that the clothingengineer made for her mom snagged me!

Parting shot: how about a toad in a frog pond. This big guy has been spending all his time in this bird bath, making an awful mess and keeping the doves away. He's cute, but not a good housekeeper. So I emptied it. A few holes in the bottom, and it will be a cute flower pot.

Hope the weekend is nice for all - Bye for now. Coco

A balancing act...

Balancing. No, not my life - my dress!

In my original post of this dress, I was contemplating those sleeves. They just seemed a little too much for the dress. And I suggested that I might rework them.

But I didn't - instead I added a waistline feature to offset the sleeves, and, as it happens, bring some interest to the front of the dress.

This didn't happen overnight - I tried on the dress a couple times, fiddled with the sleeves. Nope. Nothing. Thought about ditching it! It kind of had me at a stopping place with my sewing. Thank goodness, somewhere around midnight Saturday, the idea of a tie hit me.

Lots of seam ripping, draping, messing around, removal of elastic in the front waistband, and re-sewing later...a tie I really like! The basics of the tie pattern:

The wide end is placed in the side seam, with 1 3/4" above the waistline seam, and 1" or so below it. And I added a 'preventer' belt loop at center front to keep the knot in place.

Voila!

 

 I'm super happy with the result...

So now I can think of my next project. Actually, I might try a tie on this dress, which has been hanging in the loft, taunting me since I disparaged it.

What is it with me and tie-front dresses this month? If someone would just create a pattern for the Mociun dress, I wouldn't have these challenges!

Parting shots: I finished my T-Shirt Graffiti pen escapade with my Willow tank, Washed and dried, pretty nice for a first attempt with these fabric pens.

And Monday, Monday. I started the day with a 3-hour wait at my Honda place, while they replaced an air-bag that's been recalled. I almost finished this Felicity slouchy hat. I love love this pattern by Wanett Clyde. Check out those crystal polo beads, totally inspired by Roobeedoo's beaded Amulet shawl, which is absolutely stunning.

Ciao! Coco

McCalls 6552 Fashion Star Dress - revisiting...

I've been rummaging my pattern stash, looking for something different to sew, because I've been so underwhelmed by pattern releases all year. And I have so many patterns that I can mash-up elements for something new. But I found one - I made this pattern way back in 2012, when it first appeared, and I thought it was a nice little dress. But I had some issues with it, for which I totally blame myself: I used polyester seersucker and lined it. It was incredibly hot and uncomfortable to wear - so I didn't.

So I pulled out a cotton calico from JoAnns that I've been avoiding. I just don't like the print! That's awful, isn't it, to blog about something one just doesn't like? But I was thinking 'muslin' - I wanted to see if a calico, one of my favorite summer fabrics, would work.

Got a little peek-a-boo going on...

And actually, I quite like the calico. But as so often happens, I discovered a little problem with the pattern design: those kimono sleeves are big and might even look a top heavy on the dress. I didn't feel that way about the seersucker version, which has more drape. But, hey, I'm not going to wear this in charmeuse, crepe, or jersey knit in 90+ degree weather!

Mr. Michael Phelps has nothing over me on wingspan... I'm loving the Rio Olympics!

So, I'm thinking about redrafting the arms - there's plenty of fabric in them to play around. Why bother? Because I love the lines on the bodice and skirt...

About that peek-a-boo front. It's really not 'bad', and a little cami-bra would add some modesty. I'm just feeling lazy this morning.

I redrafted the front on my original version, so that it has a 3.5" crossover (info and pics in the first blog post). And this bodice is the same. Ah-hem - without the change, this bodice would be open to somewhere above my navel...which qualifies it for a very sexy nightie.

Just a couple sewing notes:

• The skirt is short - I didn't add to it and barely managed a 3/4" hem (I'm 5'7").

• I don't care for the suggested finish on the neckline, so I used self-fabric bias binding, finished to the outside for comfort. I used my favorite 1/4" quilting foot, Juki foot P - it positions the needle at the perfect place for top-stitching the binding...

• OK, a gratuitous shot of favorite Juki feet. Mr. I, on the right, positions the needle 3/8" from the fabric edge. How useful is that! I've collected about 60 feet from various machines, and this is the only true 3/8" foot I have.

• Finishing the curve in the armhole - kimono sleeves can be tricky, kind of tight and awkward, and it's nice to relax the curve. I sewed it with a 5/8" seam allowance and trimmed it on the serger. Opening the curve (kind of pulling it backwards), as it goes under the needle, adds a little ease in the seam. 

• The pattern has a self-fabric drawstring, inserted in a casing formed from the 7/8" seam allowance at the skirt/bodice join. Kudos to McCalls for at least using a wider SA, something that's often overlooked in other patterns. Nonetheless, I used a 1" seam allowance, which gave me comfortable room in the casing - and I inserted 1/2" knit elastic, no drawstring. IMHO it's a little classier without it.

• And I added patch pockets across the side seams, 9.5" wide and 7.5" high (avoiding the floppy pocket bag of an in-seam pocket). Since this is a simple cotton, I didn't line the pockets. But I did finish them on the inside. 

A bottom corner of the pocket

Parting shot: 

The Zika virus is a very real concern in south Florida. Not every case gets in the news - it's been reported just 10 miles south of me. And Weston is fogging and spraying. I can really see the results, as my butterfly population has gone from clouds of the lovelies to just 2 or 3. So - I've emptied some of my bird baths, and I clean/refresh the two larger ones every day. Mosquitoes hatch so quickly. We don't get killing freezes down here, so the problem is likely to stick around...

Bye for now - Coco